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Description
Davey finally gave up. “I need a break, guys,” he sighed. “Fifteen minutes and a drink and I’ll be fine.”
And so, when Jade- pushed by Hunter- stumbled valiantly into Vic’s garage, no one was waiting.
He had wanted to interrupt something, anything; wanted Davey to stop what he was doing and look up, and either love him or say no, a real solid answer, in front of people. Something absolute, something final. That was all.
And that was clearly not going to happen. All determination and nervousness flooded out of him, it was a tired, sad-looking Jade that turned to Hunter weakly and said slowly, “Maybe this isn’t as important as I thought it was. Maybe it’s not-”
Hunter said firmly, “So you lost your entrance. Big deal. You’re doing this.”
“No, I-”
“I have you car keys. We are not leaving here until this is done,” Hunter informed Jade.
“Hunt, I’m scared,” Jade whimpered. “Please. Let’s just go home. I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to be rejected again… it was all so much easier before I was here, when I could just burst in and have it be too late. But now I have time to take it back, and I want to.”
“You want to be miserable?” Hunter asked, eyebrows raised. “For the rest of your life? Because we both know that if you don’t do this now, you never will.”
“For the rest of my life,” Jade repeated, nodding.
“Oh, Jesus,” Hunter said, voice raised in exasperation. “I’m so sick of dealing with you like this! You are pathetic, lovesick fag, and it- it’s just sick. You are going to do this right now, Jade. You are going to do this or I am doing it for you. I am a straight man. I have better things to worry about. We have better things to be do.”
“Like blowing up mailboxes?” Jade asked, trying to smile.
“Better than this,” Hunter announced, ignoring how utterly pathetic and hopeless his friend’s face was.
“I don’t know what to say, Hunt!” Jade moaned.
“Play it,” Hunter instructed softly.
“What?” Jade asked, confused.
“Play the damn song,” Hunter ordered through gritted teeth, backing out the door.
Helplessly, Jade stumbled over to the guitar. Dazed, he picked it up and slid the strap over his shoulder. It fit differently; it was a Warlock, he’d never played one of those. But his fingers fell onto the strings perfectly. It was still a guitar.
And suddenly everything in the world made sense, and Jade was whole again. He didn’t need to think anymore; his fingers knew what to do. Softly at first, then growing stronger, he traced the melody with a distant look of peace on his face. As the song picked up, so did the ferocity of his playing. The neck was too thin, he didn’t have a pick, and none of it mattered. It was music. He could understand music.
Hunter stood in the doorway. He’d heard Jade play, and he could play wonderfully, but never like this. This was real, tangible… he was playing with his heart, now. Playing what he felt, improvising and improving. The melody was changed, but somehow the same. And Hunter could feel that this wasn’t music anymore. This was something much more. It was life, it was death… it was Jade.

˚

“What the hell?” Mark said, freezing with a can of soda halfway to his mouth.
“Shit,” Vic said. “There’s someone in the garage.”
“There’s someone playing my goddamn guitar!” Mark yelped. Adam got up abruptly, and the three of them ran to the garage, not looking back at Davey. There was a stricken look of horror on his face, and slowly he got to his feet.
He got into the garage after the other three, who were all just staring at the kid holding the guitar. He was good. He was playing like he meant it. Mark and Vic looked furious, but Adam was grinning. Davey stopped and looked at Adam, who nodded towards Jade.
Jade’s eyes found Davey’s as he finished the song. Words stuck in his throat. This was so much harder than he’d expected. He lifted the guitar over his head, and leaned it back against its stand.
“I- I’m sorry-” he choked. “I shouldn’t-”
“Why are you here?” Davey asked roughly.
“I came because I… I need to…” Jade stumbled. “I’m… I’m just sorry, that’s… I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry. I’ll go.”
Angrily, Mark agreed, “Yeah, you should.”
“Who the hell is this?” Vic asked, turning from Mark to Adam in angry confusion.
Jade made no move for the door, from which Hunter was watching intently.
“Dave?” he asked uncertainly.
“I hate you,” Davey said, voice shaking. How could anyone be so cruel? “Why are you doing this to me?”
Jade hung his head, tears clawing at his throat. For the second time that day, his response was: “B-because I… I love you.”
Everyone froze. Adam’s smile was gone. He looked at Davey expectantly.
“You love me,” Davey repeated hollowly.
Jade nodded miserably. “I thought that maybe… you… I’m… fuck,” he finished desperately, looking up through his long bangs at Davey, no hope in his eyes, only misery and tears.
“For real?” Davey asked, voice small.
“Why would I lie about that?” Jade asked, and before he could say anything else, Davey’s mouth was on his, and his arms were around him, and Hunter was somewhere behind them gagging while Vic demanded increasing volume what the hell was going on, and nothing mattered except that moment, there together. It had no beginning and no end; not that he could find.
And then it was over, but Davey was still real and breathing in his arms, murmuring, “I love you so much more than is even possible, you are my everything always…” into his ear, saying it out loud and making it real, making it true-
“Are you two done? Or should I just drive away with out you?” Hunter yelled from behind the wheel of Jade’s car.
Smiling hazily, Jade slipped his hand into Davey’s, filling with subconscious relief when Davey’s fingers slid easily through his own, and led him to the car.
And then, for the first time since he’d gotten his license, Jade got into the backseat.
With Davey.
He thoroughly enjoyed himself there.

Description
Davey finally gave up. “I need a break, guys,” he sighed. “Fifteen minutes and a drink and I’ll be fine.”
And so, when Jade- pushed by Hunter- stumbled valiantly into Vic’s garage, no one was waiting.
He had wanted to interrupt something, anything; wanted Davey to stop what he was doing and look up, and either love him or say no, a real solid answer, in front of people. Something absolute, something final. That was all.
And that was clearly not going to happen. All determination and nervousness flooded out of him, it was a tired, sad-looking Jade that turned to Hunter weakly and said slowly, “Maybe this isn’t as important as I thought it was. Maybe it’s not-”
Hunter said firmly, “So you lost your entrance. Big deal. You’re doing this.”
“No, I-”
“I have you car keys. We are not leaving here until this is done,” Hunter informed Jade.
“Hunt, I’m scared,” Jade whimpered. “Please. Let’s just go home. I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to be rejected again… it was all so much easier before I was here, when I could just burst in and have it be too late. But now I have time to take it back, and I want to.”
“You want to be miserable?” Hunter asked, eyebrows raised. “For the rest of your life? Because we both know that if you don’t do this now, you never will.”
“For the rest of my life,” Jade repeated, nodding.
“Oh, Jesus,” Hunter said, voice raised in exasperation. “I’m so sick of dealing with you like this! You are pathetic, lovesick fag, and it- it’s just sick. You are going to do this right now, Jade. You are going to do this or I am doing it for you. I am a straight man. I have better things to worry about. We have better things to be do.”
“Like blowing up mailboxes?” Jade asked, trying to smile.
“Better than this,” Hunter announced, ignoring how utterly pathetic and hopeless his friend’s face was.
“I don’t know what to say, Hunt!” Jade moaned.
“Play it,” Hunter instructed softly.
“What?” Jade asked, confused.
“Play the damn song,” Hunter ordered through gritted teeth, backing out the door.
Helplessly, Jade stumbled over to the guitar. Dazed, he picked it up and slid the strap over his shoulder. It fit differently; it was a Warlock, he’d never played one of those. But his fingers fell onto the strings perfectly. It was still a guitar.
And suddenly everything in the world made sense, and Jade was whole again. He didn’t need to think anymore; his fingers knew what to do. Softly at first, then growing stronger, he traced the melody with a distant look of peace on his face. As the song picked up, so did the ferocity of his playing. The neck was too thin, he didn’t have a pick, and none of it mattered. It was music. He could understand music.
Hunter stood in the doorway. He’d heard Jade play, and he could play wonderfully, but never like this. This was real, tangible… he was playing with his heart, now. Playing what he felt, improvising and improving. The melody was changed, but somehow the same. And Hunter could feel that this wasn’t music anymore. This was something much more. It was life, it was death… it was Jade.

˚

“What the hell?” Mark said, freezing with a can of soda halfway to his mouth.
“Shit,” Vic said. “There’s someone in the garage.”
“There’s someone playing my goddamn guitar!” Mark yelped. Adam got up abruptly, and the three of them ran to the garage, not looking back at Davey. There was a stricken look of horror on his face, and slowly he got to his feet.
He got into the garage after the other three, who were all just staring at the kid holding the guitar. He was good. He was playing like he meant it. Mark and Vic looked furious, but Adam was grinning. Davey stopped and looked at Adam, who nodded towards Jade.
Jade’s eyes found Davey’s as he finished the song. Words stuck in his throat. This was so much harder than he’d expected. He lifted the guitar over his head, and leaned it back against its stand.
“I- I’m sorry-” he choked. “I shouldn’t-”
“Why are you here?” Davey asked roughly.
“I came because I… I need to…” Jade stumbled. “I’m… I’m just sorry, that’s… I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry. I’ll go.”
Angrily, Mark agreed, “Yeah, you should.”
“Who the hell is this?” Vic asked, turning from Mark to Adam in angry confusion.
Jade made no move for the door, from which Hunter was watching intently.
“Dave?” he asked uncertainly.
“I hate you,” Davey said, voice shaking. How could anyone be so cruel? “Why are you doing this to me?”
Jade hung his head, tears clawing at his throat. For the second time that day, his response was: “B-because I… I love you.”
Everyone froze. Adam’s smile was gone. He looked at Davey expectantly.
“You love me,” Davey repeated hollowly.
Jade nodded miserably. “I thought that maybe… you… I’m… fuck,” he finished desperately, looking up through his long bangs at Davey, no hope in his eyes, only misery and tears.
“For real?” Davey asked, voice small.
“Why would I lie about that?” Jade asked, and before he could say anything else, Davey’s mouth was on his, and his arms were around him, and Hunter was somewhere behind them gagging while Vic demanded increasing volume what the hell was going on, and nothing mattered except that moment, there together. It had no beginning and no end; not that he could find.
And then it was over, but Davey was still real and breathing in his arms, murmuring, “I love you so much more than is even possible, you are my everything always…” into his ear, saying it out loud and making it real, making it true-
“Are you two done? Or should I just drive away with out you?” Hunter yelled from behind the wheel of Jade’s car.
Smiling hazily, Jade slipped his hand into Davey’s, filling with subconscious relief when Davey’s fingers slid easily through his own, and led him to the car.
And then, for the first time since he’d gotten his license, Jade got into the backseat.
With Davey.
He thoroughly enjoyed himself there.